Vehicle.



H. C. PRIEBE.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

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H. C. PRIEBE.

VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED KAY 6, 1909. 978.2013, Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

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. ov 0 l v" f5 Q o o o o o o o o o o o HERMAN C. PRIEBE, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS.

VEHICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

Application filed Ivay 6, 1909. Serial No. 494,460.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN C. Pnnnna, citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Vehicles, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to vehicles in which swinging floor sections areprovided, whereby the vehicle contents may readily be discharged.

The invention finds its most wide application in connection with railwaydump cars, though I do not wish to be limited to this application of myinvent-ion in all embodiments thereof. Inasmuch as the invention findsits most general application to railway vehicles, I will describe oneembodiment thereof by reference to a railway vehicle constructed inaccordance therewith.

In practicing my invention, I employ mechanism for opposing the descentof the floor sections, and, in the preferred embodiment of theinvention, including a spring portion which is subject. to windingaction when an associate floor section is being lowered, whereby energy.is stored in said spring portion that may be of service in restoringthe floor section when the load has been discharged.

I have adapted my invention to the type of vehicle illustrated in myco-pending application Serial No. 439,509, tiled June Q0, 1908, many ofthe structural characteristics shown in my present application formingthe subject matter of claims in my said eopending application, theclaims in my present application-being addressed to my more recentlyinvented mechanism that is associated with the floor sections for thepurpose of resisting the opening action of the floor sections, forclosing thc floor sections, and for other purposes which will appear.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, showing the preferred embodiment thereof, in which- Figure 1is a side elevation of a part of a gondola car constructed in accordancewith one embodiment of the invention, some of the structural details ofthe car being omitted, as they are not essential to an understanding ofthe invention. Fig. 2 is a view in cross-section of the structureillustrated in Fig. 1, some of the parts being omitted. Fig. 3 is a viewon an enlarged scale of some of the parts illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.Fig. /1 is a view upon a larger scale, of a locking device as employedto retain a floor section in its depressed position.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughoutthe different figures.

In accordance with American practice, I have shown a gondola car l whichis of conside 'able length, as is well known, on which account the flooris subdivided into a plurality of swinging sections 2, a number of thesesections being disposed upon each side of the car, though I do not wishto be limited in all embodiments of my invention to a plurality of floorsections. The inner end of each floor section is hinged to a centersill, there being illustrated two center sills 3 3, each of which isprovided with hinge pintlesupporting blocks l 4 that project laterallyfrom the center sills and form a part of the means whereby lthe swingingsections are hinged to the center sills. I-intle rods 5 5 are providedin association with each center sill 3 and are received within cavitiesin the pintle-supporting blocks fi. The floor sections are preferablymade of sheet metal and are deflected downwardly at their inner andouter ends, the inner marginal side portions of the floor sections thusformed cooperating with the top portions of the floor sections toconstitute a seat for the pintle rod 5 which finds lodgment in thecorners formed of the top and inner side portions of the floor sections,all as set forth in my said co-pending application. The downturnedmarginal portions of the sheet metal forming the swinging floor sectionsserve to counteract the end thrusts that might be imposed upon the floorsections by sudden impact.

Upon the outside marvinal portions of each floor section, I provideattachments 10, there being,l desirably two such attachments to eachfloor section, one near each transverse edge of each `floor section. Theattachments 10 include short pintles or shafts 11 about which arejournaled the lower ends of links 101 that are in the nature of pitmanconnections, the upper ends of the pitman connections 101 beingjournaled upon the eccentric portions or rods 13 of cranks that arejournaled to rotate at 14.

By reference particularly to Fig. 2, it will so that there is notendency for the crank element 13, when properly positioned, to workoutwardly, but, on the other hand, there is a tendency for the saidshaft element 13 to press against the side of the car, when properlypositioned, and a load upon the associate floor section actually forcesthe element 13 against the side of the car so that said floor section ismaintained in a closed position, all as is set forth in my co-pendingapplication. However, in order to guard against accidents, I providesupplemental means for normally preventing' the crank elements 13 frommoving away from the sides of the car, preferably comprising attachments15 secured upon the sides of the car and provided with pockets orrecesses for receiving locking pins 16 chained to the blocks 15, thelcrank elements 13 being received between the locking pins 16 and thesides of the car, whereby the crank elements 13 are positively preventedfrom moving outwardly. The blocks 15 are desirably so constructed thatthey take part in supporting the swinging iioor sections, theconstruction being such that the crank elements 13 snugly engage theblocks 15. 4The journals 14 and the blocks 15 thus share between themthe performance of the function of maintaining the outer ends of theswinging floor sections elevated.

It is often desirable to cause all of a group of swinging Hoor sectionsupon each side of the car to be lowered simultaneously, to which end Iemploy rotating a shaft 17 eX- tending lengthwise of the car, this shaft17 being provided with fingers 18 whose outer ends are adapted to engagethe crank elements 13 when said crank elements lie close to the carsides. Zhen it is desired simultaneously to lower all of a group ofswinging floor sections upon a side of the car, the shaft 17 is rotated,the locking pin 16 having previously been removed, whereby all of thecrank elements 13 belonging to a group of floor sections are mo-vedsufiiciently away from the car to permit the portion of the load carriedupon the corresponding swinging floor sections to cause said :floorsections to descend. I desirably provide an operating handle 19 in fixedrelation with the rod 17, whereby said rod 17 may be turned for thepurpose stated.

I will now describe the mechanism whichmay be employed automatically toeffect tion after the lower portion carried thereby spring' mechanismbeing desirably mounted upon the side of the car. The spring mechanismdesirably includes a helical spring 20, whose free ends 211 bear againstthe sides of the car and whose intermediate portion is formed into anelongated U QQthat projects toward the associate crank element so as tobe within the range of rotation of said crank element. is desirablycoincident with the axis of rotation of the associate crank element 13which is afforded said crank element by the mountings 14, vthe spring ZObeing maintained in alinement with the journals 14 by means of the rod23 that is coaxial with the journaled ends of the associate crankelement 13, bearings 24 being provided for the rod 23. TWhen a crankelement 13 is moved downwardly in order that the associate floor sectionmay be lowered, said crank element works againstthe U-shaped port-ion 22of the spring, so that as the crank 13 is lowered, the spring 2O has itstension increased, the tension being greatest when the crank element 13is in its lowermost position, that is, when the floor section associatedwith said crank is in its lowermost po-Y tion, the spring mechanism, inthe preferred embodiment of the invention, beingV sufficiently strongsubstantially completely to restore the floor section to its closedposition, though I do not wish to be limited to this characteristic, thespring preferablypushing upon the Hoor section to close it.

In order to prevent the premature elevation of the iioor section, Iprovide restraining mechanism that is brought into operative relationwith the spring mechanism when the floor section has been lowered, andwhich serves to prevent the spring mechanism from raising the floorsection, it being necessary to dissociate the restraining mechanism fromthe spring mechanism in order to permit the spring mechanism to elevatethe Hoor section. This restraining mechanism desirably resides in anarrow-headed detent Q5, past the lateral projections of which theU-shaped portion 22 of the spring is adapted to pass, the element 25spreading the sides of the U apart until thefsides of the U reach theneck portion of the arrowheaded structure 25, which occurs when theassociate floor section has been completely has been dischargedtherefrom, and which] lowered. This arrow-headed detent 25, by

The axis of t-he spring 20 thus engaging the portion Q2 ot' the spring,holds the spring to prevent it from prematurely raising the associatefloor section, it being necessary to use manual effort to disengage theU-shaped portion QQ from the. rest-raining device 25, in order that thespring mechanism may perform this Jfunction of elevating the floorsection when said floor section is unloaded.

Reference may be had to my co-peinling application Serial No. 439,509,filed June 20, 1908.

vWhile I have herein shown and particularly described the preferredembodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the preciseconstruction shown, as changes may readily be made without departingfrom the spirit of my invention, but,

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent the following:-

1. A vehicle having a swinging lloor section, crank mechanism providedupon the vehicle, link mechanism intervening between the crank mechanismand the swinging floor section, whereby the crank mechanism serves toswing the ioor section, and spring mechanism engaged by the crankportion of the mechanism when said crank mechanism is operated to permitthe floor section to descend, and pushing upon the crank mechanism toexert elevating action upon the floor section.

2. A vehicle having a swinging floor section, crank mechanism providedupon the vehicle, link mechanism intervening between the crank mechanismand the swinging floor section, whereby the crank mechanism serves toswing the floor section, spring mechanism engaged by the crank portionof the mechanism when said crank mechanism is operated to permit thefioor section to descend, and operating upon the c ank mechanism toexert elevating action upon the floor section, and restraining meansbrought into restraining engagement with the spring mechanism when thefloor section is lowered to prevent the spring mechanism fromprematurely exerting elevating action upon the floor section.

3. A vehicle having a swinging loor section, crank mechanism providedupon the vehicle, link mechanism intervening between the crank mechanismand the swinging floor section, whereby the crank mechanism serves toswing the floor section, and spring mechanism mounted upon the car bodyindependently of the swinging floor section and engaged by the crankportion of the mechanism when said crank mechanism is operated toperinit the floor section to descend, and operating upon the crankmechanism to exert elevating action upon the oor section, said springmechanism including a. spring whose ends are held against rotation andwhose central portion is extended to be within the range of movement ofthe crank.

1l. A vehicle having a swinging floor scction. crank mechanism providedupon the vehicle, link mechanism intervening between the crank mechanismand the swinging floor section. whereby the crank mechanism serves toswingl the tloor section, spring mechanism mounted upon the car bodyindependently of the swiixging floor section and engaged by the crankportion ot the mechanism when said crank mechanism is operated to permitthe floor section to descend, and operating upon the crank mechanism toexert elevating action upon the Hoor section, and restraining meansbrought into restraining engagement with the spring mechanism when thefloor section is lowered to prevent the spring mechanism fromprematurely exerting elevating action upon the floor section, saidspring mechanism including a spring whose ends are held against rotationand whose central portion is extended to be within the range of movementof the crank.

5. A vehicle having a. swinging floor section, crank mechanism providedupon the vehicle, link mechanism intervening between the crank mechanismand the swinging ioor section, whereby the crank mechanism serves toswing the Hoor section, spring mechanism mounted upon the car bodyindependently ofthe swinging floor section and engaged by the crankportion of the mechanism when said crank mechanism is operated to permitthe floor section to descend, and operating upon the crank mechanism toexert elevating action upon the floor section, said spring mechanismincluding a spring whose ends are held against rotation and whosecentral portion is extended to be within the range of movement of thecrank, and a detent engaged by the spring portion that is pro- ]ected tolie within the path of movement of the crank when said crank hasoperated the said projected portion in lowering the associate floorsection, whereby the spring mechanism is restrained from elevating thefloor section until the projected portion ot' the spring mechanism isdisengaged from the detent.

0. A vehicle having a swinging ioor section, spring lnechanism operatedupon by the floor section when descending to have power stored therein,whereby said spring mechanism may take part in elevating the floorsection, and restraining means adaptedto engage the spring mechanismwhen the floor section is loweredv to prevent the spring mechanism fromprematurely exerting elevating action upon the floor section.

7. A vehicle having a swinging floor section, spring mechanism operatedupon by the floor section when descending to have power stored therein,whereby said spring mechanism may take part in elevating the floorsection7 and restraining means adapted to prevent the spring mechanismfrom prematurelyexerting elevating action upon the floor section.

8. A vehicle having a swinging floor section, and spring mechanismoperated upon by the floor section When descending to have power storedtherein, said spring mechanism, when released, pushing upon said floorsection to exert elevating influence thereupon.

9. A vehicle having a swinging floor section, spring mechanism operatedupon by the floor section when descending to have power stored thereingsaid spring mechanism, when released7 operating upon said floor sectionto exert elevating y iniuence thereupon, and means for holding the oorsection when lowered tokprevent the spring mechanism from prematurelyraising said Hoor section.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 4th day of May, A.D. 1909.

HERMAN C. PRIEBE. lVitnesses L. G. STROH, G. L. CRAGG.

